Mawlana Rumi is perhaps the most wel-regarded poet in Islam. Thousands of commentaries were composed from Istanbul to Delhi for almost a millennium. The English translation of his poems topped the NYTimes bestseller list for a decade, all this in light of the fact that Mawlana Rumi was a Hanafi-trained Mawlana, issuing Fatwas in Seljuk Konya and Aleppo. We will discuss the biography of Mawlana Rumi and the first section of his Masnavi: the reed-bed story, where Mawlana Rumi, drawing on Quranic verses, Hadith, and vignettes from the saints, creatively sets forth the larger questions of Islamic life: What is the nature of our soul? Where did it come from? What does our soul want from truth in this world? Rumi's poetry has been taught, transmitted, and wept over for centuries across Muslim cities and instructed by Muftis and Sultans, is no coincidence. Mawlana Rumi's reading and writing of the Quran and The Prophet life are singular in their scope, creativity, and breadth.